Pretty In Pink

I hardly ever used to cook steak; lamb and duck are more interesting (and also best cooked rare.) There are not so many cuts of beef that I love. But now that we have a water bath, steak is much more interesting. First off, any flavoring agents really get pushed into the meat by the vacuum-sealing. Second, it’s always perfectly done all the way through with no possibility of overcooking. And last, less tender cuts can be left in longer to relax and become luxurious. It’s like a spa, but for meat.

Tonight, a couple of lovely local ribeyes with salt, pepper, and herbes de Provence underwent this treatment, and while in the bath I caramelized rutabaga with diced onion and steamed broccoli. Once the meat was done, I threw a few garlic cloves and a pat of butter in the iron pan, then seared the meat, then wilted a bunch of spinach in there after and deglazed with lemon juice. A 2005 La Spinetta Langhe Nebbiolo was perfect- chewy, rich, perfumed with violets- it blew away any regrets I had about not having made a reduction of some kind to go with this.